The Night Market Detectives

“Anna, I just saw a durian waddle behind the cendol cart!” Eddy whispered, his eyes wide as dinner plates.

Anna nearly dropped her bubble tea. “A durian… waddled ?”

“Yes! Like it had tiny legs made of toothpicks!” Eddy insisted, tugging her behind a stack of banana-leaf-wrapped nasi lemak boxes. “And it was humming ‘Happy Birthday’ !”

Anna squinted. “That’s because someone’s singing it over the loudspeaker. But – durians don’t walk, Eddy.”

“Then how do you explain why Mr. Lim’s Black Thorn durians keep disappearing every night?” Eddy shot back. “Three gone yesterday. Two last week. And now one with feet ?”

Anna chewed her lip. She loved puzzles almost as much as she loved mango sticky rice. “You’re right,” she said slowly. “This calls for official detective business.”

They pulled out their secret notebooks (waterproof, glitter-resistant, and approved by Anna’s cat, Sir Whiskers) and scribbled in bold letters:

THE MIDNIGHT DURIAN SOCIETY – CASE #1: THE WANDERING FRUIT.

Their first clue came from Lily X, who ran the neon-lit boba stall shaped like a giant lychee. “Saw something weird last night,” she said, swirling a purple taro slushie. “Heard giggling near the trash bins. Sounded like… toddlers with colds?”

“Giggling? Behind the cendol cart?” Anna gasped. “That’s the crime scene!”

“And get this,” Lily X added, lowering her voice. “Old Man Ho says his CCTV parrot started squawking ‘Durian heist! Durian heist!’ instead of ‘Welcome to Paradise Boba!’”

Eddy clapped. “A talking parrot! That’s our witness!”

They raced to Old Man Ho’s stall, where a bright green parrot named Captain Squawk perched on a sign that read No Durians Allowed (Seriously) .

“Captain Squawk,” Anna said politely, “did you see anything suspicious last night?”

The parrot blinked. Then: “Ooh-ooh, shiny spiky ball! Roll roll roll! Banana hammock! Durian heist!”

Eddy jotted it down. “‘Shiny spiky ball’ – that’s a durian. ‘Roll roll roll’ – maybe it was moving! And ‘banana hammock’…?”

Anna frowned. “Maybe a clue? Or maybe Captain Squawk just really likes swimwear.”

Next stop: the suspiciously full trash bin behind the cendol cart. Emma, who stirred coconut milk puddles like a scientist mixing potions, raised an eyebrow as they poked around.

“You two better not be sniffing my compost again,” she warned.

“We’re investigating!” Anna declared. “For science. And justice.”

Inside the bin, beneath banana peels and a single flip-flop, they found it: a tiny red sock. With polka dots.

“A sock?” Eddy said. “Durians don’t wear socks!”

“No,” Anna said slowly, “but someone else might.”

Just then, a wobble came from under the cendol cart. A soft thump-thump-thump , like something round being rolled across concrete.

They froze.

Peeking underneath, they saw not a monster or a thief – but three small raccoons, each wearing mismatched socks (one even had a banana-print one), gently nudging a durian toward a cardboard fort labeled RACCOON ROYAL PALACE in crayon.

“Oh,” Eddy said.

“Ohhh,” Anna echoed.

One raccoon turned, holding a tiny spoon. It looked at them. They looked at it. Then it burped – a deep, fruity burp that smelled suspiciously like durian custard.

“They’re not stealing,” Anna whispered. “They’re having a party .”

Eddy pulled out a chocolate rice cake from his pocket. “Wanna share snacks instead? Less illegal. More friendship.”

The raccoons chittered excitedly. The smallest one put on Eddy’s hat (which was too big and flopped over its eyes).

Back at the market, Mr. Lim scratched his head when they explained. “So the durians weren’t stolen… they were invited ?”

“Well, not exactly invited,” Anna said. “But the raccoons thought they were gifts. From the sky. Because they fell off your stall during delivery.”

Mr. Lim groaned. “Ah! I told that delivery boy to stack them properly!”

Problem solved. Sort of.

As a peace offering, the kids pooled their money and bought a small durian – just for the raccoons. They placed it outside the cendol cart with a note: Official Raccoon Party Permit. Signed: The Midnight Durian Society.

That night, the raccoons threw a legendary bash. There was a durian piñata (filled with raisins), a conga line, and even a slow dance to Captain Squawk’s rendition of Let It Go .

Lily N brought glow sticks. Bell set up a mini disco ball made from a soda can. Pye played air guitar on a broom. Hyuga filmed everything for his Wildlife Wonders YouTube channel (“500K subscribers and counting!”). Alexis designed tiny raccoon crowns out of bottle caps.

And Eddy and Anna? They sat on a bench, sipping warm soy milk, watching the tiny celebration.

“We make a pretty good detective team,” Eddy said.

“The best,” Anna agreed. “Next case: Who keeps eating all the free samples at the durian mochi stall?”

Eddy gasped. “I have a suspect. I saw Sir Whiskers licking his paws behind the chili sauce rack…”

Anna laughed. “Case #2: The Mochi Bandit. Launching tomorrow.”

And under the glow of paper lanterns, with laughter floating through the night air and a raccoon king wearing a glittery crown, the Midnight Durian Society knew one thing for sure:

Adventures didn’t need capes. Just curiosity, courage, and a friend who believed in walking durians.